Caught in the Middle! - Matthew 5:9

Drawn by Lindsay Bradford

"Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called sons of God."

  Matthew 5:9

Have you ever been caught in the middle of an ugly fight? Maybe it wasn't even that big of a deal, but as a Christian, you've read God's admonitions for Christians to be known by their love (John 13:34-35), for brothers to work out their problems (Matthew 5:21-26), and for followers of God to live peaceably and in harmony with each other (Philippians 2:1-5; 4:2-3). Not only have you read them, but you have felt compelled to help others live them out as well as yourself.

In Philippians 4:2, Paul begged Euodia and Syntyche  to get along and then in verse three asked Syzygus to help  them get along. In other words, Paul asked him to come between these two women to help them make peace. Why? Because the rest of the world understands conflict, selfishness, and war. They need to be shown the different and better way of the kingdom of heaven. They can see that better way when the subjects of the kingdom are sometimes willing to give up their individual rights when necessary in order to live in peace with each other.

Perhaps you have found yourself in the place of Syzygus...trying to bring two parties together who are at odds with each other. And you know what happens as often as not when someone tries to come between two battling people, right? The peacemaker gets caught in the cross fire. Both sides turn on him because he is speaking the truth about the faults that lie on both sides. He is calling for both sides to repent instead of choosing sides. Because his eyes are opened to both of their faults and he loves them anyway enough to point out those faults, he is accused of being blinded by "the other side."

Is that where you are right now?

If so, there is good news in this Beatitude, because while being caught in the middle is often a miserable and thankless place to be, Jesus assures us that inside the kingdom of heaven, that person is called a son of God!

Dallas Willard points out that

"under God's rule there is recognition that in bringing good to people who are in the wrong (as both sides usually are) you show the diving family resemblance, 'because God himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked' (Luke 6:35 REB). The peacemaker deals precisely with the ungrateful and the wicked, as anyone who has tried it well knows" (The Divine Conspiracy. p 118).

I guess the challenge & really the comfort for this week as you notice conflict brewing and are trying to decide whether or not it is worth another ulcer if you jump in the middle is to simply remind yourself that as miserable a position of peacemaker usually is...it is also a position that is referred to as a "son of God."

Does that make the decision to intervene more attractive?